Editorial by Nick Jans Re Trophy ‘Hunting’ – USA Today

Cecil ‘hunt’ like calling prostitution a date: Nick Jans

Though we don’t have the whole story, one fact stands certain: The recent killing of Cecil, Zimbabwe’s celebrity lion, by a Minnesota dentist and his hired guides, has raised an unprecedented global outcry. Millions have expressed their outrage. However, a no-less strident minority of sport hunters, Detroit rock star Ted Nugent at the forefront, have staunchly defended Walter Palmer as a fellow hunter being unjustly reviled. Their mantra is that hunting is a natural act, one connecting us to an ancient heritage, and that any critics are, in Nugent’s words, “stupid” people who just don’t get it because they’ve lost touch with who we once were.

Legal and ethical issues aside, Nugent and company do have a point about heritage — if they and Palmer are descendants of Mesopotamian kings or medieval aristocracy. Consider Palmer’s brand of hunting: spend large sums to gain exclusive access to exotic animals; be escorted by an entourage that does all the work, minimizes risk and all but guarantees success; slay aforementioned beasts in apparently manly fashion; and make public displays to celebrate those exploits. Such parallels are part of the archaeological and historic record, from ancient Babylonian friezes to Facebook…